Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett; Theo Wargo/WireImage; David James/DreamWorks Filmmakers across history have centered their stories on America — its founding, its ideals, and the many complexities therein. From rousing war dramas likeSaving Private Ryan(1998) to historical biopics likePatton(1970) to musicals that reinterpret things for a new generation likeHamilton(2020), these are films that speak uniquely to the American experience. Some movies aren't tied to true events but embody the American spirit nonetheless, likeMr. Smith Goes to Washington(1939) in its clear-eyed idealism orIndependence Day's (1996) rah-rah patriotism. Ahead, we're ranking some of the best films that represent America and make for perfect 4th of July viewing. Claire Folger/Warner Bros. Pictures/Courtesy Everett Ben Affleck'sArgois a real film about the ruse of making a fake film to help rescue real-life hostages in Iran. Got it? Despite its stranger-than-fiction story, the events depicted in this Best Picture-winning thriller are (for the most part) based in reality, telling the story of CIA operative Tony Mendez (Affleck), who enacted a plan to save six U.S. diplomats in Tehran by posing with his team as a film crew. The caper crackles with tension as we follow Mendez and company executing their scheme with good old-fashioned American ingenuity. —Kevin Jacobsen Jonathan Olley/Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection This engrossing (yet controversial) political thriller follows the painstaking process of tracking down Al Qaeda leaderOsama bin Ladenin the wake of 9/11.Jessica Chastainis aces as the CIA analyst devoting every waking moment to his capture, and directorKathryn Bigelowdeftly depicts the cost of war and single-minded obsession. —K.J. Chuck Yeager and the Mercury Seven astronauts literally strap themselves to engines in the hopes of doing what's never been done before. Chronicling the early years of the United States' foray into the Space Race, this thrilling story of innovation and the American spirit takes us straight to the stars.—Kevin P. Sullivan A precision military document filmed on sacred ground,Gettysburgvenerates the motives and ideals of both North and South as the two crusades collide on the hilly farms of central Pennsylvania. American history as tragedy and triumph. —Jeff Labrecque As "Over There" composer George M. Cohan,James Cagneytap-dances through life in a musical biopic brimming with pageantry and Americana. Released during World War II, the film capitalizes on Cohan's rags-to-riches story andhis songs' ability to boost moralewith their embodiment of the American spirit.—Maureen Lee Lenker InRidley Scott's kick-ass action-drama, a military wonder woman (Demi Moore) endures discrimination, misogyny, and brutal macho hazing en route to shaving her head (on camera!) and becoming an elite Navy unit's first female trooper. Top that, Rosie the Riveter.—Joey Nolfi The second Man of Steel film captures one of the superhero genre's most haunting hours — Zod (Terence Stamp) and his sidekicks rip apart the White House and drive the helpless president to "kneel before Zod." Superman is MIA. And though he eventually vanquishes Zod and his minions,the movie's most satisfying momentcomes when he restores the American flag to the White House, telling the president, "Sorry I've been away so long. I won't let you down again." A real superman knows how to apologize.—Joe McGovern With America's spirits — like its 1930s finances — in a deep depression, a small, slightly broken racehorse (and his team of equally damaged humans) became an unlikely champion and a unifying symbol of hope and second chances, right when the country needed it most.—Sara Vilkomerson Stripesisn't exactly the best recruitment video for the U.S. military. AfterBill Murray's unemployed wiseacre John Winger joins up, he swiftly butts heads with his Army superiors, especially no-nonsense Sergeant Hulka (Warren Oates). But there's something very American about Winger's antiauthoritarian streak, as well as his ability to improvise a mission to save his unit. It's enough to make you cry. Almost like Old Yeller.—Clark Collis Peter Berg's harrowing action drama, based on an ill-fated 2005 Navy SEAL mission to take out a Taliban leader in Afghanistan, is both a testament to the horrors of war and a tribute to the courage of 21st-century warriors.—Devan Coggan Judy Benjamin's (Goldie Hawn) American dream is simple: a house, a husband, a nice dining-room set. But when her dearly beloved dies on their wedding night, she accidentally-on-purpose joins the Army...and finds that fatigue is more than just another word for uniforms. The hell of basic training — and her subsequent transformation from human Pomeranian to battle-ready private — isn't just good patriotism, it's a comedic revelation. (And guess what? It turns out camo istotallyher color.)—Leah Greenblatt Films about hope and change can often verge into cheesiness, but this Oscar-winning biopic about the life of Harvey Milk (Sean Penn), the first out gay man elected to public office in California, avoids lazy cliches. As the gregarious politician makes his ascent and fights for his community, it's hard not to feel inspired even when he faces intense opposition. —K.J. Of course, Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a paragon of American ideals. But inSteven Spielberg's elegant biopic, he's deceptively so. Honest Abe is forced to scheme, relying on grit and cunning to win the votes to abolish slavery.—J.M. Definitively answering the question "Who's strong and brave, here to save the American Way?," Marvel Studios' first standalone adventure of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) isn't simply patriotic in name. The reason this hero has stood above his fellow Avengers is his character — a big guy who never forgets what it's like to be little.—K.P.S. Two and a half hours ofmusical mansplainingabout the merits of continental emancipation could have gone down like bad molasses, but this sprightly drama (starring William Daniels as the original bad boy of Boston, John Adams) doesn't just retell the story of the Declaration of Independence — it sings to life the debate that laid down the entire spirit of America. Declaratively. —Marc Snetiker Roland Emmerich's blockbuster may revel in aliens blowing up the White House, but whenBill Pullman's American president urges mankind to unite in the fight for survival, it'sone of the most heart-swelling movie speeches ever. Plus, there's that scene ofWill Smithpunching an alienin the face! America!—D.C. The depiction of corruption may look quaint by today's standards, but, inFrank Capra's idealistic film, beleaguered senator Jefferson Smith proves that one man's strong moral compass (and one marathon filibuster) can reclaim the promise of America from the nefarious Beltway machine. "Great principles don't get lost," Smith says. "They're right here. You just have to see them again."—S.V. Aaron Sorkinscripted this West Wing romance that celebrates the nobility of the American Experiment while constantly testing the integrity of its participants. After bookish President Andrew Shepherd's enemies target his environmental lobbyist girlfriend,POTUS takes to the podium, laying out the rules and stakes of modern American democracy: "America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight," he thunders, while defending the honor of the two ladies he adores most: his love and liberty.—Nicole Sperling A president who doesn't like Russian warmongers but enjoys spending time with his wife and young child? Here's awish-fulfillment political fantasy, withHarrison Fordas abipartisan badassevery American can agree on.—Darren Franich Nearly a decade after he became America's most beloved underdog,Rocky Balboa faced Dolph Lundgren's politburo punisher, Ivan Drago, the embodiment of robotic Communist zealotry writ (very, very) large.Rocky IV's politics aren't subtle, but then again, neither is our national anthem.—Chris Nashawaty Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Everett Ava DuVernay'sSelmais a potent evocation of the past and a rallying cry for the present. Set in the mid-'60s, the film centers on civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his efforts to eliminate voter restrictions for Black citizens. It all leads to the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., though the path to organizing the march isn't easy, not only because of conflict with government officials but also among activists and thought leaders. —K.J. Thanks to one impossibly cocky fighter pilot named Maverick, Reagan-era America never felt better about itself — or its military might.Tom Cruisewas the grinning poster boy of red-white-and-blue individualism ("I feel the need...the need for speed"), defying his superiors, toying with his rivals, and, of course, getting the girl.—C.N. In the dogged space race against the Soviets in the early-'60s, three female African American mathematicians overcame racism and sexism at NASA while helping solve the science that launched American astronauts into history.—Dan Heching TheSouth Parkcreators' puppet satire tracks a team of star-spangled badasses on missions of mass destruction. It's a deadpan portrait of American swagger that apexes with the fist-pumping anthem, "America, F--- Yeah!" It's the kind of "funny" tune that gets taken seriously. Seek out the uncut version, with an epilogue listing all the things that make America great: sushi, rodeos, Valium, porno, immigrants, Democrats, and Republicans. Celebrating our wild disparity? F--- yeah.—D.F. There's no question that George "Old Blood and Guts" Patton had rough edges, but that serrated personality — pumped with ego and ambition — may have been exactly what was necessary to bring down Nazi Germany. —Anthony Breznican Kurt Russellis medal-worthy as ice-in-his-veins coach Herb Brooks, who leads the scrappy U.S. hockey team against the invincible Soviets at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.The "U-S-A" chant has never been more earnest,or earned.—Jessica Derschowitz InEdward Zwick's tense Civil War dramaabout the first all-Black Army regiment, freedmen and freedom seekers volunteer to prove to white America and themselves that liberty is worth dying for.—N.S. Courtesy of Disney "How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor grow up to be a hero and a scholar?" These are the evocative opening lyrics of the smash-hit Broadway musicalHamilton, and the Disney+ filmed stage recording allows everyone to learn the story of Alexander Hamilton, one of America's Founding Fathers, through earworm melodies and virtuosic performances. —K.J. An ode to a bygone era of space exploration and American optimism,Ron Howard's riveting nail-biter about the doomed 1970 mission to the moon, starringTom Hanksas astronaut Jim Lovell andEd Harrisas not-on-my-watch Mission Control director Gene Kranz, reminded Americans what they can accomplish when failure isn't an option. "Houston, we have a problem" wasn't a cry for help.It was a call to duty.—Shirley Li David James/DreamWorks Steven Spielberg's tribute to the Greatest Generation places you in the boots of the D-Day soldiers who fought and died — and others who lived to wonder in the face of such loss, "Why me?" The story of Tom Hanks' Captain Miller and his team's efforts to find and retrieveMatt Damon's titular GI, who has lost all his brothers in other battles, is fictional. But the valor of the real soldiers who carried the banner of American ideals into the firefight is nonetheless reflected in this story. It puts you where they stood. Where they bled. Where they fell. But something good and decent rose from their sacrifice.—A.B. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
